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Interview and Giveaway with Nicole O’Dell

Hey, everybody! I have the pleasure today of having Nicole O’Dell here on my blog with an interview. She’s visiting today and answering some questions about her Teen Talk Radio show. The giveaway is detailed in the interview with Nicole’s specifics about the giveaway. It is open to everyone and please, where there is extra entries, leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry and make sure you leave an email where Nicole or I can contact the winner! Enjoy the interview and good luck in the giveaway(will end on December 1st @ 1159pmEST)! :o)

Who is Nicole O’Dell?

This question is always the toughest because I don’t want it to sound boastful. People call me a youth culture expert because I write and speak to pre-teens, teens, and parents about how to prepare for life’s tough choices. I’ve written eight books—fiction and non-fiction—been published over 200 times in devotional books, been interviewed on numerous radio stations as well as television—so maybe that all does makes me an expert of some sort, even though I’m still learning every single day. I suppose being a mom of six, including a set of toddler triplets, and working as a youth director, a Bible study leader for women and teens, a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center, and serving as camp counselor for over a decade might qualify me in some ways, too. Ultimately, I just like to let God take my life experiences and daily observations, and use me to make them relevant in the lives of teens and their parents.

What is Teen Talk Radio and why did you start it?

At Teen Talk Radio, it’s all about choices! Big or small, major or minor, there’s a moment before every decision when we have the opportunity to alter the course of our lives. This radio show gives me an hour each week to chat with other people who love teens, and often with teenagers themselves, about what’s important to them.

Really, I think it’s the memory of my own teen years (yes, I can remember that far back) that birthed a passion within me to reach out to teens and help them muddle through the confusion and pressure that life throws at them. I realize that times change, so I don’t pretend that the way I did was the best way or that I have all the answers. But I tell teens to just hang out with me and we’ll figure it out together.

What are some of the things you talk about?

I dive into topics like peer pressure, dating, purity, drugs, alcohol, modesty, popularity, the future, internet usage, safety, and anything else that pops up along the way. Every show isn’t a heavy or dark topic, but I try to make sure their all impactful in their own way.

If I had time to catch only one show, which would you recommend and how can I listen to it?

I recently did a two-part show that was not only a lot of fun, it was also very inspiring . . . to ME! I love when teenagers are doing things that just bowl me over. Shannon McNamara succeeded! As a high-school Junior, she founded a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization, SHARE, (SHannon’s After-school Reading Exchange), to empower girls in Africa through education,www.shareinafrica.org. Shannon spent the last 3 summers in Tanzania doing field work for SHARE and helped transform dilapidated school rooms into libraries, equipping them with donated books from the US. She then opened “girls only” reading programs to teach English with the motto: “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader”.

After Shannon, I welcomed Carl Blunt, the president CEO of Saturate: The Life Book Movement, a national ministry created to “saturate” high schools with God’s Word. Working through local churches, The Life Book Movement places free copies of The Life Book in the hands of Christian students to pass out in their public high schools. The goal is to ensure that every student in every high school in the United States has an opportunity to receive the gift of The Life Book. Because it is perfectly legal for students to distribute religious literature in school, this approach presents a phenomenal opportunity to impact a generation with the good news of Jesus Christ.

This entire show was a WOW moment for me. When it was over, I sat at my desk for a few moments thanking God for people like these two who go way above and far beyond to make an impact.

Most of my guests come from people who contact me either about something they’re doing or something that’s happening in the life of someone they care about. I love when that happens because then I know it’s a truly relevant show. So, if you have a topic that you think would be of interest to teens, or you’re doing something remarkable, or know of a ministry that is, feel free to contact me with your suggestions. I can be reached at nicoleodell6 <@> gmail . com.

I hear you’re giving some stuff away?

Yep! To follow up with your question about past episodes, I’d like to giveaway a couple of books to someone who checks one out. I’ll send a signed copy of two Scenarios for Girls books. Those books are interactive fiction—when the main character arrives at a moral dilemma, the reader gets to choose her path and follow the consequences through two alternate endings. The end of each book has a contract and a prayer to help solidify the reader’s commitment to her choice. The winner can choose any two of the four currently released Scenarios for Girls books from my website, www.nicoleodell.com.

Commenters will receive:

One entry for posting the title of the show they listened to.

One entry for commenting about the content.

One entry for a recommendation for a future show topic.

One entry for a recommendation on either on Facebook, a blog or twitter.